The present disclosure relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Gaillardia plant, also known as a blanket flower, a herbaceous perennial that is grown for use as an ornamental landscape and container plant. The new variety is known botanically as Gaillardia×grandiflora and will be referred to hereinafter by the variety name ‘Sunset Cutie’. Gaillardia is in the family Compositae, under which the commonly referred to “flower” is actually the inflorescence, and made up of smaller ray florets and disc florets. The ray florets themselves have the appearance of “petals”.
‘Sunset Cutie’ originated and was selected from a large population of hybrid seedlings from a Gaillardia breeding program started in 2006. The breeding program was conducted in a greenhouse nursery in West Sussex, United Kingdom. The aims of the breeding program were to produce novel combinations of flower colors and flower forms which are borne on well-branched plants with sturdy growth habits. The inventors carried out a controlled hybridization using combinations of selected named varieties and selected unnamed and unreleased seedlings retained from previous breeding cycles. ‘Sunset Cutie’ was selected in 2010 for its large flowers comprised of two rows (layers) of ruby colored ray florets whose tips are yellow. ‘Sunset Cutie’ flowers continually from spring until fall. ‘Sunset Cutie’ was also selected for its compact and naturally branching habit.
The hybridization which led to the selection of ‘Sunset Cutie’ was carried out during 2009 using a proprietary unreleased seedling known as ‘G801-3’ (unpatented) as the male parent and a proprietary unreleased seedling known as ‘G5’ (unpatented) as the female parent. ‘Sunset Cutie’ was selected by the inventors in 2010.
‘Sunset Cutie’ was first asexually propagated in September 2010 in a greenhouse at the inventors nursery in West Sussex, United Kingdom using shoot cuttings taken from lateral branches. ‘Sunset Cutie’ is stable and reproduces true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.